Questions from Pink Floyd…

…On behalf of Donald Trump. 

Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?

Looking at you Russia, China, and Iran (with a side glance at Pakistan, India, and North Korea).  There can be little doubt that one of the most critical costs associated with the Resist Trump movement, hidden though it might be, is the marginalization of our nation’s power and prestige that has undoubtedly taken place in the eyes of our global antagonists.  This Trump/Russia Collusion nonsense has compromised our President beyond estimation.  How near the edge of challenging our global resolve is Putin and the like-minded leaders of other anti-USA world leaders?  How much encouragement would it take to embolden them just enough to push them over that edge?  There was a time, not that long ago, when the American partisan divide ended at our waters’ edge.  Thanks to the unbridled political ambitions of both national political parties, that concept is now dead.  If our enemies are sufficiently adventurous and strike us or our international interests as the result of a tragic miscalculation, are we strong enough in our fractured state to withstand the challenge?

Mother do you think they'll like this song?

There were enough U.S. citizen voters who liked Trump’s message to elect him President.  Some of those now may regret their choice and question their decision; but most understand the die is cast.  For a large number of Democrats and most of the mainstream media, they are still struggling to obtain that unobtainable do over.  I am not talking about the do over that is built into our democracy; the one that comes with the 2020 election.  I am talking about the illicit undermining of a duly elected President and the obscene efforts to remove him from office.  What a stench.

Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls?

Oh…they are trying.  They have tried from day one.  And they will continue to try as long as Trump is in office.  Hillary Clinton’s defeat at the hands of Donald Trump is the wound that will never heal for many Democrats.  Like the mainstream media, many have irrevocably sold their souls, their reason, and their credibility in the effort to undo what they perceive as a monumental miscarriage of reason.  We should all prepare ourselves for the final chapter of this entire sordid episode; which may very well be the House impeachment of President Trump.  When Mueller finally issues his report to the Attorney General and if the details of said report are made public, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats in the House will seize upon any semblance of opportunity to proceed with impeachment based on their interpretation of that report.  I believe that it is a very open question as to whether there will be a sufficient number of Democrats in the House to affirm a final impeachment vote.  I further submit there is no question whatsoever that if the House moves to impeach President Trump, there is absolutely zero chance that the Senate will move to remove him from office…and they will let that be known quickly.  If you think the sad episodes we have been witnessing between Trump and his Resist adversaries have been dark days for our nation; rest assured that these pathetic examples of playground games will pale in comparison to the debacle of House impeachment proceedings on President Trump.  It is quite possible that the ball breaking has not yet begun in earnest.  One point on the anti-Trump effort…karma is a devious devil. Just as the recent Stone indictment, when read carefully, actually exonerates Trump from any Russian collusion; so may any potential House impeachment proceedings.  The thing about any type of trial process is that both sides must lay their cards on the table…and they must share their cards with the opposing side.  It is entirely possible that if the sheet is fully removed from this entire Trump/Russia Collusion farce, the Obama DOJ/DNC/Mainstream Media cabal that hatched the entire escapade might have more to lose than anyone else involved.  Democrats…be careful what you wish for.

Mother should I build the wall?

There can little doubt in any reasonable mind that given all that has occurred over the last decade at our southern border with Mexico, the strategic installation of physical barriers to help control immigration into our country makes good sense.  Construction of a border wall in this fashion combined with a pragmatic, humane, and bipartisan reform of our overall immigration policy is long overdue and resides at the very top of this nation’s domestic and national security concerns.  The playground games currently transpiring between Trump and the Democrats are nothing more than political preludes to a practical inevitability.  Barriers will be built.

Mother should I run for President?

Shoulda, coulda, woulda…the bottom line is that Trump did.  And he won.  The question of shoulda is rather academic at this point.  It would seem that the rational approach to this Pink Floyd query is to table it for the time being and revisit it come the spring of 2020.

Mother should I trust the government?

Absolutely not.  We as Americans must support, defend, embrace, and even celebrate our government.  But not in our wildest dreams or our most delirious moments should we ever trust our government.  Trust is too broad a term and too generous a portion to apply to our elected officials and constitutional tenets.  We must constantly seek transparency of institutions and government officials.  We must demand honest, ethical, and responsible behavior in decision-making from our elected leaders.  And we must forever guard against the granting of absolute power, or anything approaching that level, to those that we place in positions of power and authority within our government.  Never forget…power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Don’t miss the next post!  Follow on Twitter

@centerlineright.  If you enjoy the blog, pass it on to your friends.

Mother will they put me in the firing mine?

Well President Trump…you have officially been placed in the firing mine.  No President in my lifetime has been subjected to more vitriol, venom, and negative attention.  Whether or not he is deserving of inordinate criticism is not the question.  The question is how much of a chance can any leader have to succeed when faced with a constant and overwhelming barrage of resistance to everything he proposes?  How can the wisdom and effectiveness of President Trump’s tenure be validly judged when it is viewed in the context of this oppressive counterweight to all that he attempts to accomplish?

Is it just a waste of time?

Some have said that the best government is the government that governs the least.  I don’t believe that they had our current political climate in mind when this phrase was first uttered…but it may be applicable.  My Libertarian instincts tell me that there is tremendous benefit from weaning the government bureaucratic intrusions from our lives.  But my Independent instincts also tell me that there are some things in this world that due to their scope and nature must be addressed by our government.  The bottom line is that many large problems currently affect our country and many of the solutions are uniquely governmental in nature.  When 40-45 percent of our population is aligned diametrically across from another 40-45 percent and both are being ruled by blind ideology and partisanship, the result is dysfunction and treading water.  This stalemate serves the lesser purpose of stemming government intrusiveness through paralysis; but also carries the heavy price of government inaction on solving the bigger problems that must be addressed.  I suppose the larger question might be: How much time can we afford to waste in this fashion without realizing some painful consequences?

Mother, did it need to be so high?

In response to this question, the term high is considered synonymous with confusion, non-responsiveness, and a general removal from reality.  Such is the state of our two national political parties.  Does it have to be this way?  Is there a candidate on either side of the partisan aisle that shows the promise of a solution to this ideological divide?  How do we get out of this political mess that we have created for ourselves?  From the words of Frey and Henley, the Eagles sang…So you can get on with your search, baby; And I can get on with mine.  And maybe someday we will find...That it wasn’t really wasted time.  The verdict is still out on how the future will judge this time in American history.  And now…to put it all in context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73UMWoXRbjg

Added Bonus...In retrospect, I realized that anyone reading this post has at least a passing interest in Pink Floyd.  And in consideration of that fact, I cannot in all good conscience use their material in a post without linking to what is undoubtedly one of the greatest guitar solos in rock history.  Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_4uEaZQ2Kg